GQ magazine reckons Manchester makes the perfect city break

Next time you book a city break to Amsterdam, Paris or Dublin, lots of people will be travelling in the opposite direction and taking a city break here.

A few more than usual might be coming in the near future because gentlemen’s magazine GQ reckons Manchester is the perfect city break. And it’s got the best insider tips to ensure you spend your 48 hours here wisely.

But why visit Manchester? According to GQ, Manchester has lost its reputation for ‘guns, grime and Greggs’, and is now a booming metropolis where heritage and modernity thrive side-by-side.  You should visit Manchester for its legendary nightlife, radical politics, famous football club, trailblazing music and ‘defiant working class culture’.  Its food scene is booming but, most exciting of all, it’s full of ‘unknown pleasures’.  Wonder what they could possibly mean.

GQ recommends that, before you travel, you should pack a parka and a pair of desert boots, presumably for that authentic Manchester look and to help visitors blend in with the locals.

And don’t forget your waterproof backpack to keep your possessions safe from the ‘wet, unforgiving Manc weather.’

For places to stay, GQ recommends staying at Hotel Gotham or Radisson Blue Edwardian and, for things to do, visiting the Northern Quarter for its independent retailers; Old Trafford, the home of football; and Didsbury for its boutique coffee shops and Fletcher Moss park.

When it comes to dining, only the best will do for GQ’s discerning readers. It recommends Manchester House, The French, Hawksmoor and Australasia. For a dirty burger it’s got to be Almost Famous or Solita (the one in Didsbury, not the one in town).

An  interesting but somewhat safe, some might say unadventurous, itinerary for a weekend break in Manchester.

Read more here.

By the way, if you live in Manchester and you fancy a city break elsewhere, GQ’s got just the place for you. Why your next city break needs to be Leeds.